idiom

/ˈɪdiəm/
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A conventional way of expressing meaning, from fixed phrases and distinctive speech habits to artistic styles and familiar coding patterns.

Examples

  • A clear idiom can make code easier to scan during review.
  • The letters preserve the idiom of eighteenth-century London.
  • The loop is a familiar idiom in C but looks awkward in Python.
  • The same task may use a different idiom in JavaScript and Ruby.
  • The idiom “let the cat out of the bag” means to reveal a secret by accident.

Similar words

standard construct
set phrase
expression
language variety
phrase
manner
saying
coding convention
mode
style

Meanings

Fixed expression with its own meaning

noun
linguistics
neutral
A fixed phrase whose accepted sense or grammar belongs to the whole expression rather than to the separate words.

Examples

  • The idiom “let the cat out of the bag” means to reveal a secret by accident.
  • She knew every word in the sentence but still missed the idiom.
  • The guide explains English idioms without translating them word for word.
  • A literal translation can hide the force of an idiom.
  • He used the idiom “under the weather” to say he felt ill.

Similar words

Language variety or way of speaking

noun
linguistics
formal
A formal word for the characteristic language, grammar, or manner of speech used by a person, group, place, or period.

Examples

  • The letters preserve the idiom of eighteenth-century London.
  • Her dialogue moves between courtly language and the village idiom.
  • The translator kept several turns from the local idiom.
  • The study compares the urban idiom with nearby rural speech.
  • A formal idiom can make an everyday scene sound distant.

Similar words

Characteristic artistic style

noun
arts
formal
A recognizable style or mode of expression in art, music, architecture, writing, or another creative medium.

Examples

  • The composer wrote in a spare modernist idiom.
  • Her paintings borrow the visual idiom of street posters.
  • The building translates classical forms into a contemporary idiom.
  • Jazz harmony shaped the dancer's choreographic idiom.
  • The film uses a documentary idiom even in staged scenes.

Similar words

Typical programming pattern

noun
technology
technical
A usual way of writing a small piece of code in a particular programming language or programming culture.

Examples

  • The loop is a familiar idiom in C but looks awkward in Python.
  • Resource acquisition is initialization became a C++ idiom for managing object lifetime.
  • The library encourages the idiom of chaining small methods.
  • A clear idiom can make code easier to scan during review.
  • The same task may use a different idiom in JavaScript and Ruby.

Similar words

Etymology

From French idiome and Late Latin idioma, from Greek idiōma, meaning a peculiarity or special form of expression, from idios, “one's own.”

FAQ

What does idiom mean?

Idiom most often means a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from the separate words alone.

Is every phrase an idiom?

No. A literal phrase such as open the door is not an idiom unless it has a learned meaning as a whole expression.

Can idiom mean a dialect?

Yes. In formal use, idiom can mean the characteristic language or way of speaking of a place, group, or period.

What is an idiom in programming?

In programming, an idiom is a familiar way of writing a small construct so that the code feels natural in that language.

Where does idiom come from?

Idiom comes through French and Latin from Greek idiōma, a peculiarity or special form of expression.

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